Press Releases

2019

This year’s plastics trade show in Düsseldorf is to be dominated by the circular economy. Alongside digitalization, recycling and sustainability are among the central topics of the industry. Many exhibitors will present solutions that help to make production more sustainable. This also includes the Bonn-based company Kautex Maschinenbau, one of the world leaders in the production of extrusion blow molding machines. With the slogan “Creating Change Together,” the company will present various technologies, such as a newly developed extrusion head that drastically reduces the consumption of raw materials when changing color and material.

Live demonstration of highly efficient bottle production with PCR The sustainable aim while developing the new extrusion heads was to enable significantly quicker color and material changes, as laborious purging or cleaning not only takes time but also consumes material. At the Kautex booth in Hall 14, visitors will be able to see for themselves how the new generation of extrusion heads work and where the potentials for saving are. To serve as an example, an all-electric KBB60 blow molding machine will demonstrate the production of a sustainable three-layer bottle containing PCR in live production. The materials processed are supplied by the renowned manufacturer Braskem. To reduce the consumption of raw material, a mixture of polyethylene (I’m green™) and PCRis also foamed in the middle layer. Kautex, together with the Brazilian plastics material manufacturer, selected the raw materials to achieve a significantly improved carbon footprint as an additional benefit. What’s more, the bottle has a neutral odor despite the use of PCR. To complete the production cycle, the company Erema will recycle the bottles produced during the trade show. The location of this live recycling demonstration will be the Erema “Circonomic Centre” in the outside area where the circular economy will be brought to life for the trade show visitors.

New digital services at the Service Point At the “Service Point,” Kautex will present its new digital solutions in customer service. With the new augmented service, Kautex customers will have the opportunity to examine machinefaults together with Kautex service technicians within the shortest time possible. This means that teams of experts all over the world can directly examine the machine in a virtual environment in order to solve a problem. Kautex has also set up a new portal for ordering replacement parts. In future, customers will be able to identify the replacement parts requiredfor their machine online via “Kautex Spare Parts” and immediately check availability and prices, making the order process and re-ordering significantly easier. Visitors to the Kautex booth will have the chance to familiarize themselves with these new digital services at the Service Point. What’s more, there is a new development for Kautex virtual machines – first presented at K 2013 – which are digital twins of machines used as simulators. The virtual machines are now interactive and require machine operators to react appropriately to changes in machine process settings. An error-free article is only displayed if the settings arecorrect.

Shuttle service to plant tour in Bonn Kautex will offer individual plant tours in the company’s Bonn headquarters during the trade show. A shuttle service will transport visitors who are interested to visit the company’s facility in Bonn in around 50 minutes. Here, Kautex runs one of three global development centers, known as Technikum. Machines for the entire range of applications are available at the Kautex Technikum, some of which can be seen in live operation. At the Technikum, Kautex presents various bottles made from PCR materials sourced from different manufacturers that are undergoing testing as part of long-term experiments with PCR processing. In addition, there will be a demonstration of a new approach for creating a barrier layer on the inner surface of hollow containers by plasma coating. In this way, the CoEx process that would otherwise be necessary is avoided. Visitors will also have the chance to see a variety of machines types in the assembly halls. A personal guide will take guests on the tour and provide detailed information. Visitors to K 2019 can find out more about services and book plant tours at the Kautex booth.

At K-2019, Braskem will provide Kautex Maschinenbau with its innovative bioplastic I’m green™ Polyethylene and PCR for the production of three layer HDPE bottles with foamed middle layer. The result will be a bottle, in which the processed virgin and PCR material, has a drastically reduced CO2 footprint in comparison to conventional products.

Instead of handing them out to visitors and finally producing “waste”, the bottles will be handed over to Erema for recycling. With this initiative the three companies will demonstrate their responsibility to participate in the circular economy by helping to achieve future goals with environmentally friendly solutions.

Kautex Maschinenbau, belongs to the world's leading manufacturers of extrusion blow moulding machines. Their customers include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. Their machines process thermoplastics which are completely recyclable. Kautex’s efforts towards contributing to the success of the Circular Economy comes from the company’s understanding of their responsibility to promote the recycling of plastics, and to work with partners to optimize material cycles. The further development of the use of recycled materials plays an important role for the company. "We regard the promotion of plastics recycling and working with our partners to optimize material cycles as an important responsibility of our company", explains Managing Partner Andreas Lichtenauer.

Kautex Maschinenbau decided to process the Braskem material solution due to a better processability, less odour development and because they could offer their PCR and renewable material in a more sustainable way than conventional solutions, which is in line with their Circular Economy commitment. The raw material which is used for the demo bottles is derived from sugarcane, and the PCR material comes from already recycled material. By using Braskem’s technology, Kautex will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of those bottles as well as the use of fossil resources. For every kg of I’m green™ Polyethylene used more than 5 kg of CO2 is saved. In addition, the material usage is reduced by the use of foam technology and thus an additional optimization of the CO2 footprint is achieved.

By joining forces with Erema, who will also be present at K-2019, the loop will be fully closed as they will showcase solutions for every single step within the plastics recycling process. This includes recycling technologies as well as software tools, and engineering and integration services for plastics recycling projects. Kautex’s bottles made of Braskem’s material will be collected by Erema and fully recycled in order to avoid any waste; showcasing the true objective of the Circular Economy.

At the Erema Circonomic Centre (outdoor area between hall 11 and 15) very tangible lighthouse projects will be displayed. The name Circonomic Centre,a word composed of “circular” and “economics,” refers to integrating recycling know-how into the plastics value chain providing both, economic and ecological benefits.

Recycling will be demonstrated in several live-performances, processing different plastic input material. In total more than 30 tons will be recycled during K-2019, including HDPE-bottles produced by Kautex.

According to Kautex’s exhibition motto “Creating Change Together” the German blow moulding machine manufacturer will collaborate with Braskem, the leading producer of biopolymers in the world, who strives with “Passion for Transforming”. Erema, the global market leader in the development and production of plastics recycling machines, offers its customers not only technologies and components but also consulting, engineering and planning services, as well as the expertise and dedication of its employees. All of these are success factors contributing to the performance of the customers, which is why Erema Group appears at K-2019 under the motto “Seeds for your performance”. … more minimize

23.04.2019

Kautex Maschinenbau is realigning its sales department – Alain Cappelle is appointed Director of the packaging division

The sales department, which until now has been organized on a cross-market basis, will be divided into packaging and automotive divisions. Managing Partner Andreas Lichtenauer will be responsible for the Automotive division, which will also include composite and special applications. Alain Cappelle will be the new Director of the packaging division.

Through its development as an application-oriented sales organization, Kautex will be able to improve its proximity to its customers. The manufacturer of extrusion blow molding machines will therefore set the requirements for dealing more quickly and consistently with the application-specific requirements of its customers. This decision will also help the company strengthen its position as a partner for the development of new solutions along the production and value chain.

Alain Cappelle has been working with Kautex as a management assistant since October 2018. Before joining Kautex, he worked for nine years in various roles for the energy business at Siemens, where in his most recent position he was managing an internal startup for the digitalization of the Field Service. In his new position as Sales Director, Packaging - which he will start on May 1, 2019 - he will be responsible for the planning, control and strategic orientation of the global sales activities of the Kautex Maschinenbau packaging division. Alain Cappelle is ready to take on this challenge. “Digitalization offers us tremendous opportunities. As well as boosting internal efficiency, it enables us to develop new products, services and business models for our customers,” explains the 34-year-old, who manages the sales department along with Andreas Lichtenauer. Lichtenauer is also Managing Partner and responsible for customers and markets. He has long-standing contacts in the automotive industry.

In engineering, changing customer and market demands call for rethinking in many areas. The different market segments often have very specific requirements regarding production processes, which in turn demand increasing specialization from the sales department. In the packaging division, Kautex sees a high level of market fragmentation, as well as the desire for shorter delivery times and a higher level of standardization. Issues such as traceability and a circular economy play an ever-greater role.

Collecting and evaluating machine and production data is therefore the basis for the automation of production processes and the development of an Industry 4.0 manufacturing environment. In addition, the company recognizes its responsibility to promote the recycling of plastics, and to work with its partners to optimize material usage. Kautex Maschinenbau is currently developing new products to increase efficiency in these areas, and to promote more effective production with recycled material.
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14.03.2019

Chinaplas 2019 – Kautex presents a blow molding machine with a new 6-layer extrusion head

At Chinaplas 2019, which will take place from May 21 to 24 in the city of Guangzhou in Southern China, Kautex Maschinenbau will be unveiling a newly developed 6-layer extrusion head for packaging applications.

The new 6-layer head can be used to produce multi-layer hollow plastic containers with a volume of between 500 and 1500 ml. These are mainly used for packaging applications in the food sector. The new extrusion head has been jointly developed by German and Chinese engineers at Kautex. It will be in operation at the trade fair on a 3rd-generation KCC10S blow molding machine, so that visitors can see its functionality and performance for themselves. This machine range, which is made in China, is used as a laboratory machine at all Kautex technical facilities around the world.

New extrusion head enables production of multi-layer bottlesAt the show, the KCC10S MK3 will be producing a 1000 ml 6-layer milk bottle. The single station machine has a CP50 extrusion head, the first 6-layer head for consumer packaging made in the Chinese factory. The heads of this new series have a minimum center distance of 140 mm and will be available with up to six parisons. CP50 heads are compatible with Kautex machines of the KCC and KBB series, and in some cases can also be retrofitted on other machines. The extrusion heads are made at the Chinese Kautex plant in Shunde. That not only means better value for money but also reduces delivery times.

Mastering production processes in real-life conditions on a simulatorAs well as exhibiting its KCC10S MK3 machine, Kautex will also be demonstrating its virtual training simulator at Chinaplas. These virtual machines are used in the same way as flight simulators to train employees in the various production processes on Kautex machines. First introduced in 2013, virtual machines are now available for the, KBS, KBB and KCC series. The compact work stations are equipped with a powerful computer simulator, two monitors, and a projector. They are used for training and demonstration purposes at the Kautex locations in Bonn (Germany), Shanghai, Shunde (China) and New Jersey (USA). The virtual machines enable employees to be trained on Kautex machines in realistic conditions but without the risk of causing any damage due to incorrect operation, and without consuming any materials. The devices are mobile, plug into any standard domestic electrical socket and can be rented to customers for training purposes.

New Kautex Technikum opened in ShundeKautex now operates three technical research centers called Technikum around the world. In addition to the main technical facility in Bonn (Germany) and another in New Jersey (USA), at the end of 2018 the company opened a third technical center at its production site in the city of Shunde. At the decentralized lab sites, new applications are developed, prototypes and pilot molds are produced and materials and production processes are tested. The testing is led by process engineers with years of experience.
You will find Kautex Maschinenbau at Chinaplas 2019 in Hall 5.1, booth number C41. …more minimize

01.03.2019

Kautex Maschinenbau suffers from economic downturn

In recent years, the international manufacturer of extrusion blow molding machines has experienced above-average growth in business. In addition to the significant business in the automotive segment, the sale of all-electric high-performance machines for the packaging industry has proved to be a further driving force.

Decline in sales due to global risksFor some months now, global risks such as Brexit, US trade policy and the diesel crisis have led to a downturn in the global economy. In 2018, car production in China alone, the world's largest automobile market, declined for the first time in 20 years. In January of this year there was a 14.4 percent decline compared to the previous year (according to CAAM). Due to its high export share of more than 90 percent, the mechanical engineering company, with its headquarters in Bonn, is clearly feeling the effects of these negative developments. "Some of our customers in the automotive segment now have surplus capacity," reports Andreas Lichtenauer, Managing Partner at Kautex Maschinenbau. "Some machines are not in production."

Personnel adjustment at the Bonn location
As part of new drive concepts for passenger cars, Kautex Maschinenbau began investing early in the development of alternative energy storage systems. The development of composite pressure vessels plays a major role here as an additional source of revenue alongside the fuel tank business. However, this will not compensate for the decline in incoming orders. The company is therefore forced to adjust the sharp increase in the number of employees at the Bonn site in recent years. "This adjustment is expected in the near future," says Dr. Olaf Weiland, CEO of Kautex.

Realignment of the sales organization
"The current economic changes, as well as changing customer and market requirements, require Kautex to rethink many areas," says Dr. Weiland. "Our first priority is a comprehensive program to increase efficiency in all business processes. We will also revise our sales strategy to a more focused approach.” Sales, which previously operated across all industries, will be realigned and divided to focus on the packaging and automotive divisions. The aim is to specialize sales activities to meet customer needs. "With this step, we are creating the conditions to respond more quickly and more consistently to the division-specific requirements of our customers," says Dr. Weiland.

Investing in sustainable solutions
Another important step for the manufacturer of plastic processing machines is the further development of the use of recycled materials. "We regard the promotion of plastics recycling and working with our partners to optimize material cycles as an important responsibility of our company," explains Andreas Lichtenauer. Technical solutions are currently being worked on at full speed in order to secure and expand the company's leading technological position also in the field of recycled material processing for high-performance machines used for the manufacture of plastic packaging.
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2018

New Kautex representative for Southeast Asia

This October Kautex Maschinenbau, manufacturer of blow molding machines, opened its eighth overseas branch office in Malaysia, headed by Louis Koay, an experienced sales professional.

In view of the significant demand for consumer and industrial packaging, as well as an automotive market capable of significant growth, the Southeast Asian region has increasingly become the focus of international plastic processing companies. Malaysia provides excellent conditions with its location between Singapore and Thailand. It is easily accessible, has an efficient infrastructure and qualified engineers.

The Kautex office in Malaysia provides close proximity to customersThe leading manufacturer of extrusion blow molding machines, Kautex Maschinenbau has now opened their own representation in Kuala Lumpur for the Southeast Asian region. “The number of our customers in Southeast Asia is growing steadily, so that we see an increasing need to expand both sales and service in this economically important region. Customer proximity is an important factor”, explains Andreas Lichtenauer, Managing Partner at Kautex Maschinenbau. “Our new office will make customer contact easier for the companies located there. At the same time, processes can be significantly accelerated so that we can help customers faster.”With Louis Koay, we now have an experienced sales professional for our customers in the region. He also serves as the primary contact for potential new customers. Additionally, the new regional office manager will provide the existing representatives with further support. In the medium-term outlook, two service technicians and a sales assistant will strengthen the team.

About Kautex Maschinenbau Eight decades of providing its customers with innovative products and services have turned Kautex Maschinenbau into the world's leading company in extrusion blow molding technology. With customers that include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. All of them have come to rely on the knowledge and experience of a brand that stands for both quality and reliability. With 550 employees in Germany and a further 200 around the world, the company reached an annual turnover of €144 million in 2017. In addition to its HQ in Bonn, a Customer Service Center in Berlin and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy, India, Mexico and Malaysia, Kautex Maschinenbau operates an extensive global network of service and distribution offices. …more minimize

04.10.2018

Manuel Heusinger is Head of Sales at Kautex Machines

As of September 2018, Manuel Heusinger is the Head of Sales at Kautex Maschinenbau’s North American subsidiary in New Jersey, USA. Mr. Heusinger has many years of experience in the field of extrusion blow molding and brings his knowledge in technical sales and electrical engineering. He has previously been working at Kautex as a Regional Sales Manager at the headquarter in Bonn. Reporting to Bill Farrant, President of Kautex Machines Inc., he will promote the continuing growth and success of the North American operation.

Developing success and market leadershipSince 2015, the Kautex Group has been able to increase sales of extrusion blow molding machines by more than 30 percent. Business in the USA represents roughly one-third of the Kautex Group global revenue. “I want to continue the development of this success and our leading market position in the automotive field”, said Mr. Heusinger. “I view these challenges confidently with the potential for our high-efficiency KBB all-electric blow molding machines for the industrial and consumer packaging applications, as well as our innovative multi-layer technology.”

About Kautex Maschinenbau
Eight decades of providing its customers with innovative products and services have turned Kautex Maschinenbau into the world's leading company in extrusion blow molding technology. With customers that include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. All of them have come to rely on the knowledge and experience of a brand that stands for both quality and reliability. With 550 employees in Germany and a further 200 around the world, the company reached an annual turnover of €144 million in 2017. In addition to its HQ in Bonn, a Customer Service Center in Berlin and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy, India, Mexico and Malaysia, Kautex Maschinenbau operates an extensive global network of service and distribution offices. …more minimize

Companies that work in the machine and plant engineering industry play an important role when it comes to primary energy demand savings. In Germany, for example, industry consumes almost 30 percent of the entire energy demand. At the same time, an increase in energy efficiency can only be achieved with the help of the know-how and innovation in industry. Based on the above, Kautex Maschinenbau, located in Bonn, presented the energy saving KBB series: a generation of all-electrical machines during the K 2013 in Düsseldorf.

KBB – Machines with a futureWhen developing the all-electrical KBB machines, the market leader for extrusion blow molding machines came up with an especially sustainable concept. The latest measurements of energy consumption based on Euromap 46.1 standards prove the concept is successful: Many KBB machines reached the highest energy efficiency classification 10. “Our machines are often operated over several decades. We therefore would like to offer our customers long-term solutions, which are not only in accordance with the state of technology, but which for many years achieve outstanding results in the area of energy efficiency”, says Dietmar Michels, product manager for the KBB series. “The principle applies to the entire value-added chain. This requires a high technical maturity of the selected components, which on this level has only been available for a few years. Energy efficiency starts with the size of the machine and the correct drive concept with a matching extrusion system and ends with use of the de-flash material in a closed loop system.”

Best energy efficiency class during the Euromap measurement
The outstanding efficiency of the all-electric extrusion blow molding machines is confirmed by the latest test based on the Euromap 46.1 standards. Several Kautex machines of the KBB series achieved the best energy efficiency classification 10. The industrial Euromap standards developed by the association permit the comparison of machines by different manufacturers on the basis of standardized parameters. The electrical consumption, the cooling water consumption and heat energy of the plastic are measured. “It is our objective to satisfy the customer requirements for transparent and comparable energy consumption values and to present the energy efficiency classes under a neutral label”, says Heinz-Werner Eckerskorn, Director R&D. Euromap specifies the machine settings, the measuring instruments used and the plastic material. “Energy saving potential can mainly be found by looking at the main energy consumers of a blow molding machine: the extruder drive and the heating”, states Heinz-Werner Eckerskorn. “Kautex Maschinenbau continuously tests different machine components to guarantee the highest energy-efficiency.” By introducing many technological optimizations, Kautex systems can now operate with a significantly higher energy-efficiency compared to a few years ago. This means that the company additionally contributes to the ambitious objectives of the German Federal Government: an annual increase in energy efficiency by 2.1 percent until the year 2050.

Individual consumption measurement provides planning dependability
In addition to the Euromap 46.1 standards, Kautex Maschinenbau also established consumption measurements to provide energy usage for the anticipated production conditions, before the delivery of a machine. This machine-specific measurement is made for all Kautex machines at the pre-acceptance performed at the Bonn headquarters. It considers the material and the product being made as well as the configuration of the machine. In contrast to Euromap 46.1, this data includes the recording of the electricity, water and air consumption; the pressures of all supplied utilities; the entire cooling energy; the water temperature and the calculated kg per hour throughput. The measurements are always based on the entire machine and valid for the conditions and settings of the pre-acceptance. “By providing this information, we offer our customers higher confidence for the connection to their supply system”, explains Heinz-Werner Eckerskorn.

About Kautex Maschinenbau
Eight decades of providing its customers with innovative products and services have turned Kautex Maschinenbau into the world's leading company in extrusion blow molding technology. With customers that include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. All of them have come to rely on the knowledge and experience of a brand that stands for both quality and reliability. With 550 employees in Germany and a further 200 around the world, the company reached an annual turnover of €144 million in 2017. In addition to its HQ in Bonn, a Customer Service Center in Berlin and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy, India and Mexico, Kautex Maschinenbau operates an extensive global network of service and distribution offices. … more minimize

25.06.2018

Geoffrey Chan is the new CEO of Kautex in China

As of June 2018, Geoffrey Chan is the new CEO of the Chinese subsidiary of Kautex Maschinenbau in Shunde. The experienced industry insider and sales professional, who was part of the Kautex management team as Executive Vice President since January 2017, manages the business together with Managing Director Guoliang Du. While Geoffrey Chan manages the sales and service business of the blow molding machines produced in China, Guoliang Du is responsible for the production and technology departments.

Chan identifies a large growth potential in the Chinese market: “The demand in China for industry and consumer packaging as well as automotive solutions continues. The Kautex Group offers innovative machine solutions in all of these segments and was able to increase the sales of extrusion blow molding machines by more than 30 percent since 2015.” In 2017, China alone was responsible for 30 percent of the worldwide revenue volume.

Investments in a growth market
Based on the expansion of the last few years, Dr. Olaf Weiland, CEO of the Kautex Group, believes that the top management in Shunde and the headquarters in Bonn are subjected to additional challenges: “We believe in the future of our Chinese business, we continue to invest in this market and therefore have decided to strengthen the team and to adapt the roles and responsibilities adequately.” The management team surrounding Geoffrey Chan and Guoliang Du is supported by Andreas Krause and Mark Lueddecke, who - as Executive Vice Presidents - take care of the supply chain, production, installation and customer service departments.

About Kautex Maschinenbau
Eight decades of providing its customers with innovative products and services have turned Kautex Maschinenbau into the world's leading company in extrusion blow molding technology. With customers that include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. All of them have come to rely on the knowledge and experience of a brand that stands for both quality and reliability. With 550 employees in Germany and a further 200 around the world, the company reached an annual turnover of €144 million in 2017. In addition to its HQ in Bonn, a Customer Service Center in Berlin and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy, India and Mexico, Kautex Maschinenbau operates an extensive global network of service and distribution offices. … more minimize

11.04.2018

Open House 2018 at Kautex Maschinenbau

With 170 visitors from 28 countries, Kautex Maschinenbau once again saw an increase in the number of visitors to its Open House event, which took place on March 14 and 15. In keeping with the slogan “Setting benchmarks for high production performance”, the manufacturer of extrusion blow molding machines took its customers on a tour of the recently opened new assembly hall at its Bonn HQ and presented a wide variety of machines, application examples and new services.

Presentations and live demosThe extensive presentation line-up, with internal and external speakers, covered topical issues such as energy efficiency and the “Industry 4.0” smart factory trend, as well as views on automation and service. With the particular interests of visitors in mind, the presentations on the first day focused on solutions for the packaging industry while the second day was devoted to the automotive segment and special applications.

The 31 demo machines were another major highlight. Visitors were able to watch some of them in live operation, one example being a packaging machine in the technical center where the mold trials of E-PET bottles was in process. Two virtual machines for training purposes were also made available for up-close inspection by visitors. The event was rounded off by a presentation of various retrofitting/modernization options and a demonstration of a test version for future services based on a current augmented reality application using smart glasses.

An evening event in the specially transformed technical center gave visitors an opportunity to speak directly to experts from Kautex. With waiters serving buffet food on trays, visitors were able to discuss topical issues in depth in a relaxed atmosphere.

New shareholder and new assembly hall
The Open House 2018 was the first company event attended by representatives of the company’s new majority shareholder. Following approval from the competition authorities, Austrian-based Plastech Beteiligungs GmbH took over 74.9 percent of the shares in Kautex Maschinenbau on February 23. Managing partner Andreas Lichtenauer was especially pleased with the chance to show customers the new assembly hall for KBB and KSB machines, which was completed just a few months ago: “We are continually striving to reduce lead times for our customers. This expansion of our Bonn location should improve our future capacity for on-time delivery,” affirmed Lichtenauer.

About Kautex Maschinenbau
Kautex Maschinenbau has enjoyed above-average growth during the last twelve years. The Group’s revenue has increased from approximately EUR 60 million in 2006 to around EUR 144 million in 2017. In addition to its HQ in Bonn, the Customer Service Center in Berlin and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy, India and Mexico, Kautex Maschinenbau operates an extensive global network of service and distribution offices. In Plastech, the Kautex management team under Dr. Olaf Weiland and Andreas Lichtenauer have the support of a medium-sized principal shareholder as strategic partner for the first time. …more minimize

27.03.2018

Kautex Maschinenbau presents KBB bottle machine at NPE 2018

The success story of the innovative KBB series started with a live presentation of the first all-electric KBB machine for the North America market at NPE 2015. At this year’s NPE show, which is taking place from May 7th to 11th at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL, Kautex Maschinenbau will once again be placing the spotlight on its KBB series at booth W1543. A demo set-up will show the production of a 600-ml flat oval bottle for the personal care industry on a KBB40D machine with 2 x 5-fold production in three-layer ReCo execution, linked to a continuous weighing machine for automatic weight adjustment.

An ongoing success story“Ever since the first all-electric KBB60D was launched on the North America market three years ago, demand for this series has grown at a considerable rate,” says Bill Farrant, President of Kautex Machines Inc. Extremely short dry cycle times and low energy costs give the all-electric KBB series an edge in terms of saving resources and maximizing efficiency. In addition, quick-change systems enable by far the fastest product change-over in the extrusion blow molding machines segment.

Live demo of personal care applicationUnder the show slogan “Setting benchmarks for high production performance”, Kautex Maschinenbau will be presenting another KBB model at NPE 2018. The KBB40D machine for the production of 600-ml flat oval bottles for the personal care industry has already been ordered by Amcor, a customer who will also be represented at the Kautex stand in Orlando. The quick mold change features of the machine will also be demonstrated twice per day.

The bottles are produced on the double-station machine with ten cavities in the three-layer ReCo process, whereby color is only added in the outer layer of the bottle. The inner layer uses virgin material to minimize the migration of impurities into the filled product. The middle layer uses regrind or PCR, i.e. recycled plastic, to save both costs and resources, in line with the circular economy ideal. Leak testing of the bottles is performed inside the blow molding machine.

Quality control with feedback
A continuous weighing machine linked to the blow molding machine will also be shown. It allows deviations in product weight to be identified immediately and adjusted automatically in the machine. This step reduces the number of rejects and increases machine efficiency. Another benefit of automatic weight adjustment is a saving in the cost of resin used. Visitors to the NPE show will be able to view the CPK parameters on a large screen in real time during the production process.

Kautex service
In keeping with the “Industry 4.0” smart factory trend, Kautex will be presenting the second generation of its virtual machine at NPE. This practical training tool enables the exact simulation of realistic production processes. The system comprising a compact workstation unit, two monitors, a projector and a real control panel allows machines of the KBS, KBB and the KCC series to be depicted in real time. The company will also be presenting a simple and reliable remote diagnostics solution at NPE: the Kautex Remote Service. This is based on a built-in firewall, which allows a technician to begin detailed troubleshooting without having to travel to the machine location. In the ideal scenario, the fault can be cleared online after the instant analysis. If not, either the faulty part will be identified and a replacement part sent out for self-installation, or a technician call-out will be arranged. This ensures that Kautex machines are up-and-running again as soon as possible, thus minimizing the costs of downtime.

Kautex Maschinenbau has a new majority shareholder
As of February 23, 2018, Vienna-based Plastech Beteiligungs GmbH is the new majority shareholder of the Kautex Maschinenbau Group. The Austrian company takes over from the previous investor capiton after acquiring a 74.9 percent stake. Kautex Maschinenbau has enjoyed above-average growth during the last twelve years. With 550 employees in Germany and a further 170 around the world, the company reached an annual turnover of EUR 144 million in 2017. In addition to its HQ in Bonn, a Customer Service Center in Berlin and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy, India and Mexico, Kautex Maschinenbau operates an extensive global network of service and distribution offices. In Plastech, the Kautex management team under Dr. Olaf Weiland and Andreas Lichtenauer have the support of a medium-sized principal shareholder as strategic partner for the first time. …more minimize

07.03.2018

Kautex Maschinenbau at Chinaplas 2018

Kautex Maschinenbau will be participating in Chinaplas 2018 from April 24 to 27 at the trade show’s new venue in Shanghai. With a larger stand area, the world’s leading manufacturer of extrusion blow molding machines is responding to the increasing visitor attendance of recent years. The company will not, however, be needing much space to present its compact KCC10 MK3, which will be used to demonstrate the production of three-layer 1,000 ml bottles with a foamed middle layer.

Transition to third generation almost completeIn 2016, Kautex Maschinenbau’s introduction of the KCC20 MK3 started the gradual process of transitioning to the third generation of KCC-series equipment at its Shunde plant in Southern China, which is by now almost complete. In keeping with the trade show slogan (Setting benchmarks for high production performance), the benefits of the new KCC MK3 models include not only better accessibility and significantly quicker changeover times, but also shorter lead times. Their all-rounder status means that the machines can be used for a wide range of applications – for packaging, automotive and special applications.

Live production with foaming processThe KCC10 MK3 can be used to produce bottles in sizes ranging from 50 ml to 5,000 ml. At Chinaplas, Kautex Maschinenbau will present a live demo of a foamed bottle being produced with technology from MuCell® Extrusion. The foaming of the middle layer significantly reduces the amount of material required. With a lower carbon footprint and better thermal and insulating properties, the production method is also more environmentally friendly. The foaming process can be used for all packaging machines with continuous extrusion.

Investment in research and development
The next stop for the demo machine will be the technical center planned for Shunde Kautex, where it will be used to develop new applications. Customers in China will thus be able to benefit from the same Kautex service available from Bonn in the future. The continuous improvement of its service offering is one of the top priorities for Kautex Maschinenbau worldwide. Alongside the Bonn HQ, international locations in New Jersey and Shunde will also be available for samples and material tests.

Virtual KBS fuel tank blow molding machine
The new generation of virtual machines will also be presented at the stand. These training tools simulate production processes for various machine types and use cases in real time. The hardware consists of a compact workstation unit, two monitors, a projector and a real machine control panel. Modularization allows for a seamless transition from one series to another. KCC machines were recently added to the training tool, which already includes the KBS and KBB series.

Kautex Maschinenbau has a new majority shareholder
As of February 23, 2018, Vienna-based Plastech Beteiligungs GmbH is the new majority shareholder of the Kautex Maschinenbau Group. The Austrian company takes over from the previous investor capiton AG after acquiring a 74.9 percent stake. Kautex Maschinenbau has enjoyed above average growth during the last twelve years. The Group’s revenue has increased from approximately EUR 60 million in 2006 to around EUR 144 million in 2017. In addition to its HQ in Bonn, the Customer Service Center in Berlin and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy, India and Mexico, Kautex Maschinenbau operates an extensive global network of service and distribution offices. In Plastech, the Kautex management team under Dr. Olaf Weiland and Andreas Lichtenauer have the support of a medium-sized principal shareholder as strategic partner for the first time. …more minimize

18.01.2018

Plastech acquires majority share in the Kautex Maschinenbau Group

Vienna-based Plastech Beteiligungs GmbH is the Kautex Maschinenbau Group’s new majority shareholder after acquiring a 74.9% stake. The Austrian company takes over from the previous investor capiton AG (Berlin), which had acquired its shares in the Kautex Holding GmbH in January 2013. The Kautex management team under Dr. Olaf Weiland and Andreas Lichtenauer will retain a significant investment in the company.

Kautex Maschinenbau has enjoyed above-average growth during the last twelve years. The company’s revenue increased from approximately EUR 60 million in 2006 to over EUR 140 million in 2017. Financial investors played an important role in making this achievement possible.

CEO Dr. Olaf Weiland sees the majority acquisition by Plastech as the perfect opportunity to advance the long-term development of the company with the support of a medium-sized principal shareholder. “We are very pleased with the partner we have found in Plastech and the entrepreneurs behind the company,” commented Weiland. “We particularly like the company’s focus on the plastics technology sector, on profitable growth achieved with a customer-centric approach, innovation and digitalization, and on taking a long-term approach to business,” he added. Weiland also welcomed the fact that the partners are focused on the same important competencies. “Overcoming our customers’ challenges is one of our key competencies and this focus is shared by our new majority shareholder.”

Kautex Maschinenbau is very grateful to the previous principal shareholder capiton AG for its full support during the last five years. Its investment was key to enabling the leading manufacturer of extrusion blow molding machines to further develop its customer service and packaging business with a view to long-term success. The company was also able to invest in its workforce and in a state-of-the-art machine production facility.

Plastech is an independent industrial holding company which invests in small to medium-sized companies in the plastics sector. The people behind Plastech have long-standing experience in the plastics industry. As a long-term owner, Plastech actively supports the strategic development of its investments.

The approval of the competition authorities is required before the deal can be closed, which is expected in March 2018 at the latest.

About Kautex MaschinenbauEight decades of providing its customers with innovative products and services have turned Kautex Maschinenbau into the world's leading company in extrusion blow molding technology. With customers that include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. All of them have come to rely on the knowledge and experience of a brand that stands for both quality and reliability. With 530 employees in Germany and a further 170 around the world, the company reached an annual turnover of more than €140 million in 2017. In addition to its HQ in Bonn, the newly opened Customer Service Center in Berlin and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy, India and Mexico, Kautex Maschinenbau operates an extensive global network of service and distribution offices. …more minimize

11.01.2018

Kautex Maschinenbau establishes sales office in Mexico

By setting up its own sales office in Mexico, Kautex Maschinenbau is meeting the growing demand for extrusion blow molding machines in the North and Central America market. The name of the new company is Kautex Machines México S.A. de C.V. and its headquarters are located in Mexico City. Long-standing sales partner Mucio Vieyra will run the office with support from three service technicians and the North American sales company Kautex Machines Inc., based in New Jersey. The plan in 2018 is for additional service technicians to join the Mexican team.

Greater proximity to customers
The establishment of Kautex sales offices in rapidly growing markets is part of the decentralization strategy being pursued by the international manufacturer of extrusion blow molding machines. “Proximity to our customers is an important element of our success story,” says Andreas Lichtenauer, Managing Partner at Kautex Maschinenbau. “The more familiar we are with the expectations and requirements of our local customers, the more appropriate the solutions we are able to offer them.” Particular interest is expected in the Mexican market for KBS- and KSB-series machines for automotive applications as well as KBB and KCC machines for industrial and consumer packaging.

About Kautex MaschinenbauEight decades of providing its customers with innovative products and services have turned Kautex Maschinenbau into one of the world's leading companies in extrusion blow molding technology. With customers that include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. All of them have come to rely on the knowledge and experience of a brand that stands for both quality and reliability. With 530 employees in Germany and a further 170 around the world, the company reached an annual turnover of more than €140 million in 2017. In addition to its HQ in Bonn, the newly opened Customer Service Center in Berlin and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy, India and Mexico, Kautex Maschinenbau operates an extensive global network of service and distribution offices. …more minimize

2017

16.11.2017

Kautex Maschinenbau – Additional assembly hall officially inaugurated

Kautex Maschinenbau has completed its new 5,000 m2 assembly hall at its Bonn HQ after a construction period of just nine months. The plant will mainly be used for the assembly of KBB-series all-electric packaging machines as well as KSB machines for blow molding applications in the automotive industry. The expansion has also created 80 new office roles. The official inauguration ceremony took place on November 9th, with many guests from the worlds of politics and business in attendance. The speakers included district mayor and member of parliament, Guido Déus, as well as Victoria Appelbe, Head of the Economic Development Office.

“We are delighted with the steadily growing demand for our high-performance and energy-efficient extrusion blow molding machines for the packaging sector,” commented Dr. Olaf Weiland, CEO of Kautex Maschinenbau. “In the past, we mainly focused on large blow molding machines for the automotive segment. More recently, however, we have seen considerable parallel development of our packaging machine business. As demand here remains high, we are in urgent need of more production space. The plant expansion will allow us to increase our output even further, which will result in shorter lead times for our customers.” The company has financed the new assembly hall from its own resources.

About Kautex MaschinenbauEight decades of providing its customers with innovative products and services have turned Kautex Maschinenbau into one of the world's leading companies in extrusion blow molding technology. With customers that include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. All of them have come to rely on the knowledge and experience of a brand that stands for both quality and reliability. With 510 employees in Germany and a further 170 around the world, the company expects an annual turnover of more than €140 million in 2017. In addition to its HQ in Bonn, the newly opened Customer Service Center in Berlin and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy, India and Mexico, Kautex Maschinenbau operates an extensive global network of service and distribution offices. …more minimize

24.05.2017

Kautex Maschinenbau makes downstream processes an integral part of its machines

The manufacturer of blow molding machines, Kautex Maschinenbau, is staying on course for further growth thanks to a multitude of innovative new developments. In fact, the company was able to bring 2016 to a successful close by recording record sales. According to the company's Managing Partner Andreas Lichtenauer, this achievement was the result of its successful machine lineup, its extremely innovative approach and its new high-performance blow molding machines for the packaging sector: "Our all-electric KBB series has been in high demand ever since it was first introduced three years ago." Kautex Maschinenbau is currently extending its main plant in the German city of Bonn in order to meet this increased demand. The new assembly hall, which covers an area of 3900m2 and will be officially opened in the third quarter of 2017, will predominantly be used for the assembly of KBB and KSB machines. The company is also creating approx. 80 new office workstations.

Alongside these developments, Kautex Maschinenbau has also introduced a new and unique solution for the integration of downstream processes using so-called IntelliGate modules, which has attracted global interest. "This solution enables our machines to be digitally networked to form a complete production line in accordance with the megatrend of Industry 4.0", adds Lichtenauer.

The intelligent Connext interface
The newly developed Connext interface plays an integral role in the IntelliGate integration system. It is used to integrate downstream processes such as quality control processes into the machines. Individual modules can be incorporated with machines in the KBB series by the Kautex experts and connected via the Connext interface using plug and play, thus providing Kautex customers with a complete integrated production process from one single source.

By developing Connext, the company from Bonn has created a standard solution that not only helps to ensure that all connected modules are supplied with compressed air and power, but also, and above all, guarantees a standardized data exchange. The solution gives the users flexibility to respond to changes in the production sequence, for example by allowing them to exchange the modules of existing Kautex machines. It also eliminates the need for additional power supply or compressed air connections. As Achim Trübner, the company's Team Leader for Software Development and R&D explains, "a Kautex machine with a Connext interface not only recognizes every module, but also the order of modules, even if changes are made to their arrangement".

The company's Team Leader for Marketing, Christian Kirchbaumer, underlines the fact that the IntelliGate modules are more than just a cosmetic addition to complement the machines' modern design: "We haven't adapted the individual downstream processes to suit the design of our machines so that they look even more attractive, but instead in order to clearly highlight the added value provided. The modules connected via the Connext interface save time and improve performance, thus enabling us to offer a real competitive advantage."

About Kautex MaschinenbauEight decades of providing its customers with innovative products and services have turned Kautex Maschinenbau into one of the world's leading companies in extrusion blow molding technology. With customers that include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. All of them have come to rely on the knowledge and experience of a brand that stands for both quality and reliability. With 460 employees in Germany and a further 170 around the world, Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH currently has an annual turnover of €122 million. In addition to its HQ in Bonn, the newly opened Customer Service Center in Berlin and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy and India, Kautex Maschinenbau operates an extensive global network of service and distribution offices. …more minimize

This year, representatives from the international packaging industry will once again gather at the Interpack trade fair in the German city of Düsseldorf to find out about the opportunities for improving efficiency in the field of packaging production. As in previous years, Kautex Maschinenbau will be represented at this year's event with its own stand in Hall 13 from May 4th to 10th. Alongside the all-electric packaging machines in its KBB series, the extrusion blow molding specialist will also present a number of potential solutions that manufacturers of bottles, containers and other plastic packaging can use to set new standards in productivity. These solutions not only include material-saving and advanced quick-change production systems, but also services that help to reduce the 'time to market'. The company's new IntelliGate integration system was also developed with the aim of increasing the process efficiency of its machines. These Industry 4.0 applications help to transform Kautex machines into a closed system for high-performance production and enable Kautex to secure its typical high level of process quality.

The IntelliGate modular system
The main component of the IntelliGate integration system is its modules, which are connected to the newly developed Connext interface. "This helps to make downstream processes, such as quality control processes, an integral part of the machine", explains Christian Kirchbaumer, Team Leader for Communication and Marketing at Kautex Maschinenbau. The individual modules can be coordinated on KBB blow molding machines by the Kautex experts and connected or exchanged using a “plug and play” interface.

Using all-electric machines and virtual training to increase efficiency
The all-electric KBB series, which has been in high demand since it was introduced three years ago, stands out due to its compact design, easy handling, low energy consumption and advanced quick-change systems, which facilitate the fast and efficient completion of product changes. One of the solutions provided by the series is the use of advanced extrusion blow molding heads, which significantly reduce the time needed for color changes. On top of this, the series was recently expanded with the addition of two variants for the production of blow-molded jerry cans.
Another highlight at the Kautex exhibition booth will be the live presentation of the company's latest generation of virtual machines. This tool enables users to simulate and train production processes for different types of machines and applications in real time.

A shuttle service to the main plant in Bonn
Given that the Interpack venue is located in close proximity to the company's main plant in the German city of Bonn, Kautex is offering guests the chance to use its individual shuttle service, which will take them directly from the trade fair to the Kautex factory. At the facility, visitors will be able to view a wide variety of different Kautex extrusion blow molding systems in different stages of assembly and enjoy many informative discussions with the Kautex experts.

About Kautex MaschinenbauEight decades of providing its customers with innovative products and services have turned Kautex Maschinenbau into one of the world's leading companies in extrusion blow molding technology. With customers that include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. All of them have come to rely on the knowledge and experience of a brand that stands for both quality and reliability. With 460 employees in Germany and a further 170 around the world, Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH currently has an annual turnover of €122 million. In addition to its HQ in Bonn, the newly opened Customer Service Center in Berlin and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy and India, Kautex Maschinenbau operates an extensive global network of service and distribution offices. …more minimize

20.03.2017

Kautex Maschinenbau – New KCC machine model at Chinaplas 2017

After Kautex Maschinenbau began gradually introducing the third generation of its successful KCC production series last year with the KCC20 MK3, a further step follows this year with the KCC10 MK3. The blow molding machine producer will be presenting this and many other innovations at Chinaplas 2017, which on this occasion will take place in Guangzhou from May 16th – 19th. “Since the introduction of the MK3 models, we have worked continuously on the new machine programme. Several KCC20 MK3s have been delivered in the meantime and with the new KCC10, we are proceeding with the expansion of the programme", stated Geoffrey Chan, who, as Executive Vice-President of Shunde Kautex, has joined the local management team in January 2017.

Virtual machine and shuttle service to the shunde plant
Nor would the Kautex exhibition stand be complete without the new generation of virtual machines. With this considerably further-enhanced tool, production processes for various types of machine and application scenarios are simulated and practiced in real time. The virtual machine which is being exhibited will also from now on form part of the client training facilities at the Shunde site.
Because Chinaplas is taking place in Guangzhou this year, Kautex will be providing a shuttle service from the trade exhibition to the nearby Kautex plant in Shunde. Various extrusion blow-molders from KCC to KBB can be viewed there at various stages of final assembly, with informative talks from many different experts.

Shunde Kautex has been manufacturing the all-electric KBB production series for the Chinese and South-Asian market since 2016 in a joint development programme with the German factory in Bonn. Machines of this type have set themselves apart with their ease of handling, low energy consumption and quick-change systems. A special feature of the KBB production series is the Intelligate integration system presented for the first time at the K 2016 trade fair. With this efficiency-enhancing industry 4.0 application, Kautex machines can be developed into a self-contained manufacturing plant.

About Kautex MaschinenbauEight decades of providing its customers with innovative products and services have turned Kautex Maschinenbau into one of the world's leading companies in extrusion blow molding technology. With customers that include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. All of them have come to rely on the knowledge and experience of a brand that stands for both quality and reliability. With 460 employees in Germany and a further 170 around the world, Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH currently has an annual turnover of €122 million. In addition to its HQ in Bonn, the newly opened Customer Service Center in Berlin and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy and India, Kautex Maschinenbau operates an extensive global network of service and distribution offices. …more minimize

17.02.2017

Kautex Maschinenbau expands its management team in China

Kautex Maschinenbau has strengthened its international management team. The company recently welcomed the experienced plastics specialist and sales professional Geoffrey Chan (46) and appointed him as the Executive Vice President of its Chinese subsidiary Shunde Kautex Plastics Technology Co., Ltd. at the start of January 2017. Geoffrey Chan boasts more than 25 years of experience in the plastics industry and was most recently responsible for two Chinese locations of the company KHS China as its Managing Director.

Focusing on the customer "Kautex Maschinenbau is delighted to welcome yet another highly qualified executive to its team in the form of Geoffrey Chan", states the company CEO Dr. Olaf Weiland. "We have known him for many years as an extremely committed individual and team player. He is the perfect addition to the four members of our current management team in China. Our cooperation with our Chinese customers has developed extremely well in recent years and we have also identified further opportunities for growth." According to Weiland, the expansion of the company's customer services is a particularly important factor: "Kautex Maschinenbau has also taken on the role of the technological and quality leader in the field of extrusion blow molding technology in the Chinese market. Close cooperation with our Chinese customers is the key to securing this role and further expanding our business activities. Strengthening our subsidiaries in Shunde and Shanghai helps us to further develop this cooperation. We are simultaneously working on achieving a closer exchange between the Chinese, German and other members of our international management team in order to consistently orient the further development of our company as a whole toward the needs and requirements of our customers."

Shunde Kautex extends its range of products and services Shunde Kautex, located in the Guangdong region in southern China, is a 100% subsidiary of the company Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH and was founded in 1995. It currently employs 130 members of staff. Following on from the presentation of a third-generation machine in the KCC series by Kautex Maschinenbau for the first time at the Chinaplas 2016 trade show, the Shunde factory is now converting its production activities from the second to the third generation of machines. Since 2016, the final assembly and commissioning of machines from the all-electric KBB series has also been made in Shunde for the Chinese and Southeast Asian market in close cooperation with our main plant in Bonn, Germany . At this year's Chinaplas event, the company plans to showcase a new KCC10 MK3 packaging machine.

About Kautex Maschinenbau Eight decades, shaped by innovative strength and services for its customers, has made Kautex Maschinenbau a globally leading provider of extrusion blow molding technology today. The company’s international customers include automobile firms and suppliers, as well as companies from the packaging industry. They all rely on the expertise of a brand that represents quality and reliability. With 470 employees in Germany and a further 160 employees worldwide, the company generated an annual turnover of over 122 million euros in 2016. Besides its headquarters in Bonn, the newly opened Customer Service Center in Berlin and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy and India, Kautex Maschinenbau maintains a dense global network of service and distribution offices. …more minimize

17.02.2017

Kautex Maschinenbau expanding Bonn HQ

Kautex Maschinenbau is continuing to drive forward with its growth plans. In order to meet rising demand for its recently developed, all-electric packaging machines and compact suction blow molding machines, the company is expanding and modernizing its Bonn production location. From Q3 2017, the new 5,000 m2 assembly hall will mostly be dedicated to assembling and testing KBB-series packaging machines and KSB-series suction blow molding machines.

Along with this, around 80 modern office workplaces are also being built. The ground breaking ceremony took place on February 15th in the presence of members of staff, Bonn’s mayor Ashok Sridharan and the district mayor Guido Déus.
Kautex CEO Dr. Olaf Weiland hopes that the plant expansion will make production even more efficient and further reduce lead times for customers: “As well as improving the long-term performance and efficiency of our machines, we want to make the same improvements to our production.”

Ideal set-up of Bonn location
Thanks to a successful model lineup and positive market development, the specialist in extrusion blow molding machines finished fiscal 2016 on a high with record sales of EUR 122 million. Weiland sees the sector heading in a positive direction, hence the focus on the company’s Bonn HQ. “Bonn is located in the heart of one of the world’s most important centers for plastics manufacturing. The high density of universities and the presence of specialist research institutes offer excellent development opportunities for our innovation-driven sector,” comments Weiland on the city where the company was founded over 80 years ago. Kautex Maschinenbau has its own technical center in Bonn which is itself one of the world’s largest research and development institutes for plastics machinery.

About Kautex Maschinenbau
Eight decades of providing its customers with innovative products and services have turned Kautex Maschinenbau into one of the world's leading companies in extrusion blow molding technology. With customers that include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. All of them have come to rely on the knowledge and experience of a brand that stands for both quality and reliability. With 460 employees in Germany and a further 170 around the world, Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH currently has an annual turnover of €122 million. In addition to its HQ in Bonn and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy and India, Kautex operates an extensive network of service and sales offices around the world. …more minimize

17.01.2017

Kautex Maschinenbau – Continued strong growth and extended service offering in Russia

Kautex Maschinenbau is continuing its strong growth thanks to innovative new developments and finished 2016 on a high with record sales. Managing Partner Andreas Lichtenauer puts this success down to a proactive service policy, a fast ongoing decentralization and with this a better understanding of customer requirements. The leading manufacturer of extrusion blow molding machines launched three new machine designs during 2016.

The company is now in the process of expanding its Bonn production location to meet rising demand. From Q3 2017, a new 3,900 m2 assembly hall will primarily be dedicated to assembling KBB packaging machines and KSB suction blow molding machines. Around 80 new office workstations are also being created.

The company is also pressing ahead with the localisation of its services. This plan includes the establishment of a Russian limited liability company in Moscow and a spare parts warehouse in St. Petersburg. This will optimise the supply processes for the Russian market from spring 2017 and ensure that spare parts can be offered in the national currency. All inquiries will be dealt with by Russian speakers.

About Kautex Maschinenbau
Eight decades of providing its customers with innovative products and services have turned Kautex Maschinenbau into one of the world's leading companies in extrusion blow molding technology. With customers that include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. All of them have come to rely on the knowledge and experience of a brand that stands for both quality and reliability. With 460 employees in Germany and a further 170 around the world, Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH currently has an annual turnover of €110 million. In addition to its HQ in Bonn and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy and India, Kautex operates an extensive network of service and sales offices around the world.
…more minimize

2016

16.11.2016

Kautex Maschinenbau reports on a positive trade fair experience

>Bonn – Kautex Maschinenbau is more than satisfied as they look back at this year’s K trade fair in Düsseldorf. Under the slogan “Setting benchmarks for high production performance”, the leading manufacturer for extrusion blow molding machines presented its latest machine technologies and services at a stand measuring around 450 sqm. “In places, our stand was so crowded that it was barely possible to get through,” says Managing Partner Andreas Lichtenauer. “The live presentations of the all-electric jerrycan machine, our Industry 4.0 application, Virtual Machine, and new example applications from the field of Specialities attracted particular interest.”

Kautex booth with the new KBB400VAll-electric and connected The all-electric KBB400 exhibited in Düsseldorf to manufacture stackable jerrycans was used numerous times a day on all eight trade fair days and impressed the trade visitors not only with its speed and efficiency, but also with the ability for networking in terms of the trade fair megatheme “Industry 4.0”. The KBB400 boasts an integrated quality control system for the manufactured products, the data for which, as for all other ‘IntelliGate‘ downstream modules, can be exchanged and used to optimize the running processes using the newly developed interface ‘Connext’.

New areas of application and Open House Selected example products from the business area Specialities, which were intended to offer trade visitors suggestions of further extrusion blow molding applications, generated a great deal of conversation at the trade fair stand. The range extends from kayaks and outdoor sheds to sports shoe soles, traffic signs and new forms of wound pressure vessels. Alongside the trade fair, Kautex this year once again opened its doors to visitors at its main factory nearby. Interested parties were taken directly to Bonn via shuttle bus several times a day to view blow molding machines for applications from the fields of Automotive, Packaging and Specialities.

About Kautex Maschinenbau Eight decades, shaped by innovative strength and services for its customers, make Kautex Maschinenbau a globally leading provider within extrusion blow molding technology today. The company’s international customers include automobile firms and suppliers, as well as companies from the packaging industry. They all rely on the expertise of a brand that represents quality and reliability. With 430 employees in Germany and a further 160 employees worldwide, the company generated an annual turnover of over 110 million euros in 2015. Besides its headquarters in Bonn, the newly opened Customer Service Center in Berlin and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy and India, Kautex Maschinenbau maintains a dense global network of service and distribution offices. …more minimize

25.11.2016

Agri Industrial continues to rely on Kautex Maschinenbau

Bonn/Fairfield – Agri Industrial is further expanding its long-standing partnership with Kautex Maschinenbau. The American company is expanding its multi-layer fuel tank production capacity with having placed an order for another KBSmart120, which is expected to be production-ready in Q4 2017.
Maschinenbau)

Barrier coating also for small fuel containers The Kautex machines in the KBSmart range are specially designed for the production of small plastic fuel containers up to 40 liters. With the aid of a six-layer die head, the plastic containers manufactured on it in the co-extrusion process can be fitted with an EVOH barrier coating, as has been used in the global automobile industry for many years. Stricter legal requirements by the Californian emission protection agency CARB have also made this procedure necessary for non-automobile applications for the turf equipment and powersports industries.

Long-standing partnership Founded in 1978, Agri Industrial Plastics Co. is now among the leading manufacturers of large-format plastic parts. A total of 26 extrusion blow molding machines are currently in operation at the Fairfield, Iowa facility which measures 30,000 square meters (340,000 square feet), including seven CoEx models from Kautex Maschinenbau. Almost exclusively, Agri uses blow molding machines from the Bonn-based company.

Oriented towards the future “Our business relationship with Agri Industrial has grown over many years,” confirms Kautex Managing Partner Andreas Lichtenauer. “During this time, Kautex has continually further developed its machine technology according to the requirements of the American market. Through the close collaboration with Agri Industrial, we have been able to ensure that our models always cater fully to the demand for smaller gas tanks for non-automotive applications.”

What unites both companies is the need to continually develop world-class process capability to meet the increasing performance demands of non-automotive OEMs. Customer service plays a major role here, both for Kautex Maschinenbau and for Agri Industrial. The shared strategy is also reflected within corporate communication. Agri Industrial promises its customers “custom molding, taken to the next level”, while Kautex Maschinenbau has chosen a very similar trade fair slogan for K 2016: “Setting benchmarks for high production performance”.

About Agri-Industrial Plastics Company: Agri-Industrial Plastics Company (AIP) is a custom, large-part plastics blow molder founded in 1978. AIP serves a diversified customer base. AIP offers expertise in part design, mold design, part production, and assembly. Through each phase of the process, AIP provides the highest quality service and products to their customers.For more information, visit www.agriindustrialplastics.com or email sales@agriindustrialplastics.com.

About Kautex Machines, Inc.: Kautex Machines, Inc. is located in North Branch, NJ and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH of Bonn, Germany. Kautex Machines, Inc. markets and services Kautex blow molding equipment manufactured in Germany and China for automotive, packaging and special applications throughout the North America and the Caribbean. …more minimize

26.07.2016

New KBB jerrycan machines for K 2016

At this year‘s K-show in Düsseldorf (Germany), the leading manufacturer of extrusion blow molding machines can be found at its usual 430 m2 exhibition space in hall 14, stand A16/18.
Never before in its 80-plus-year history has Kautex unveiled so many new machines in a single year. Following the successful presentation of the new KCC MK3 series at this year’s Chinaplas as well as the launch of new suction blow molding machines and drum machines, Kautex Maschinenbau will present its new KBB jerrycan machines at the upcoming K 2016.

Expansion of the all-electric KBB series
The new KBB200 and KBB400 models were specially developed for the manufacture of stackable jerrycans. The machine at K 2016 will be equipped with a Kautex three-layer head for a cost-efficient ReCo process. Like the KBB bottle machines presented at K 2013, the all-electric jerrycan versions are setting new benchmarks when it comes to speed and efficiency.

Downstream Integration
There is an additional highlight in the form of new, networked post-production modules so that downstream equipment can become an integral part of the Kautex machine in keeping with the “smart factory” trend.

New generation of virtual machines
Following the huge success of its introduction of virtual machines, Kautex Maschinenbau is now launching a second generation, this time with a modular concept. The new, considerably more flexible virtual machines are able to work with a variety of control systems. Virtual machines eliminate the need for training on actual machines as well as potential risks of damage. In addition, costs related to material consumption will no longer be incurred.

Open House during the trade fair
During the 2016 edition of the K event, Kautex Maschinenbau will once again be opening its doors to visitors at its nearby parent plant. Interested visitors will be shuttled directly to Bonn for a look at the blow molding machines for applications in the automotive, packaging and specialities segments.

About Kautex Maschinenbau Eight decades of providing its customers with innovative products and services have turned Kautex Maschinenbau into the world's leading company in extrusion blow molding technology. With customers that include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. All of them have come to rely on the knowledge and experience of a brand that stands for both quality and reliability. With 430 employees in Germany and a further 160 around the world, Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH currently has an annual turnover of €110 million. In addition to its HQ in Bonn and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy and India, Kautex operates an extensive network of service and sales offices around the world. …more minimize

14.07.2016

Toray Industries does research with 3D blow molding machine by Kautex Maschinenbau

Heat-resistant PPS air ducts for Japanese market / Test of new applications in Toray technical center Kautex Maschinenbau provides the Japanese corporation Toray Industries an extrusion blow molding machine type KBS20 for research and development purposes. Toray's own technical center in the factory in Nagoya is using the new Kautex machine to test the production of different 3D pipes using the so-called suction blow process. The focus here lies on the development of especially heat-resistant air ducts made from polyphenylene sulphide PPS.

A development partnership Jürgen Moitzheim, Sales Director at Kautex Maschinenbau, is looking forward to working with the Japanese resins manufacturer. "The latest developments in combustion engines are once again creating challenges for automotive industry suppliers. This is especially true for the interplay between materials and engine technology. For this reason we like to work very closely together with our customers on the development of new solutions." This also convinced Toshiteru Nishijama, Manager for Automotive Products Business, Resins Global Marketing Dept. at Toray: "We were looking for a provider who not only produces good machines, offers high process reliability and good service, but who will also support us with their know-how in the R&D field. It became clear quite quickly that we would use a Kautex suction blow molding machine."

PPS for turbocharger A current development trend in the automotive industry is the downsizing of car engines while at the same time increasing performance. In order to achieve this, turbochargers are installed which need especially heat-resistant ducts. Toray achieved very good results here with polyphenylene sulphide PPS. This plastic distinguishes itself with especially high and durable heat-resistance up to 220 degrees Celsius. Kautex machines have been able to process this material without problems for many years.

Low-waste blow molding Since 1999, it has been possible to produce 3D molded parts on Kautex machine type KBS which have numerous applications for pipes and tubes in the car industry. They are used as fuel filling pipes, intake air ducts, or cooling air ducts in modern combustion engines. 3D blow molding is an especially low-waste production method. In contrast to the conventional method, the parisons are molded into functional components without welds.

Further advantages arise in the manufacture of 3D ducts when using the suction blow molding method. Here, the parison is drawn into the elongated cavity of a blow mold before the actual blow molding of the part. This allows the use of significantly simpler and consequently cheaper blow molding tools.

About Kautex Maschinenbau Eight decades of providing its customers with innovative products and services have turned Kautex Maschinenbau into the world's leading company in extrusion blow molding technology. With customers that include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. All of them have come to rely on the knowledge and experience of a brand that stands for both quality and reliability. With 410 employees in Germany and a further 140 around the world, Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH currently has an annual turnover of €110 million. In addition to its HQ in Bonn and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy and India, Kautex operates an extensive network of service and sales offices around the world. …more minimize

07.04.2016

Kautex Maschinenbau opens new customer service center in Berlin

Bonn/Berlin - Kautex Maschinenbau has opened a new customer service center in Kleinmachnow near Berlin. With around 500 m2 of space for sales, service, workshops and a spare parts warehouse, the leading manufacturer of extrusion blow molding machines is now also present in the east of Germany. The investment in the new site is a further step as part of the service strategy, by which Kautex continues to improve its proximity to its customers and further expand its range of services and consulting products.

Service, training, retrofitting “Our customers benefit from the new site thanks to faster reaction times, an extended range of customer service offerings and intensive personal consulting on site,” says Marco Stühmeier, who is responsible for managing the new customer service center. Stühmeier was previously the production manager for extrusion blow molding machines at Uniloy Milacron Germany / B&W and has extensive experience in Berlin. Thilo Schmidt, head of global service at Kautex Maschinenbau, is delighted about the opening of the new customer center. “The Berlin site is a further strategic step to build on and expand our customer base and the service business for packaging machines,” says Schmidt and adds: “In Berlin, we offer customer training, extensive service relating to machine maintenance and consulting on modernizing machines through retrofitting – not only for Kautex machines.”

Five-person expert team The new, five-person team at the customer center consists of experts from the fields of spare parts sales, field service, start-up and machinery sales. Besides Marco Stühmeier, Karola Hepfner, who joined Kautex Maschinenbau as a sales manager for the packaging department at the beginning of the year, also possesses extensive experience in the field of extrusion blow molding.

Individual employees at the new Kautex site have up to 30 years’ experience with blow molding machines for the packaging sector. The range of services and consulting is not limited to Kautex machines, but also comprises extrusion blow molding systems from other manufacturers and virtually forgotten companies such as Fischer W-Müller, Voith and SIG-Blowtec. The new customer center is therefore not only the first port of call when it comes to service for Kautex customers, but also for anyone who has packaging machines from other manufacturers.

About Kautex Maschinenbau Eight decades shaped by innovative strength and services for its customers make Kautex Maschinenbau a globally leading provider within blow molding technology today. The company’s international customers include automobile firms and suppliers, as well as companies from the packaging industry. They all rely on the expertise of a brand that represents quality and reliability. With 410 employees in Germany and a further 140 employees worldwide, the company generated 110 million Euros in sales in 2015. In addition to its headquarters in Bonn and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy and India, Kautex Maschinenbau maintains a comprehensive global network of service and distribution offices. …more minimize

16.03.2016

Third generation of KCC machines goes into production

Kautex Maschinenbau at Chinaplas 2016At this year’s Chinaplas, which will be held in Shanghai from 25 to 28 April 2016, Kautex Maschinenbau will present a new model in its successful KCC series of extrusion blow molding machines. This is the third generation of the KCC series, which has been produced in Shunde, China, since 1997.

New features, new designThe new blow molding machine model, which was announced at the Open House event in October last year, represents a complete relaunch of the KCC series. As well as a number of new and revised technical features, the machine has also been completely re-designed, to visually blend in with the look of new Kautex machines.

With its compact form, the new KCC generation takes up less floor space in the production hall. Better accessibility not only makes the blow molding machine easier to service, but also speeds change over times. Molds can now also be changed from the side, for example, and products are discharged from the rear of the machine. A greater standardization of modules and components has reduced the investment costs of the new machine and shortened future delivery times.

Gradual introduction of the new machine Mark Lueddecke, Vice President of Kautex Maschinenbau in Shunde, plans to introduce the new generation of machines to the market on a gradual basis until the switch-over of the entire KCC range has been completed. “We offer KCC machines for all kinds of consumer and industrial packaging applications as well as for the automotive sector. This high degree of flexibility is precisely why this machine series has continued its success for almost twenty years.”

New KSB suction blow molding machine Kautex Maschinenbau will also allow first insights in its new KSB suction blow molding machine at Chinaplas. This brand new machine type was specially designed for low-flash production of 3D molded parts.

Global demand for plastic ducts for the automotive sector is rising all the time, ever since the use of special materials such as PA6.6 or PPS has enabled the production of highly heat-resistant exhaust ducts.

A modern operating concept with Kautex BC5 controller makes the new KSB machines easy to operate. In addition, the new suction blow molding machine takes up almost 50% less space than previous equipment, thus reducing investment costs.

With continuously increasing exhibitor and visitor numbers, Chinaplas has become the second largest trade fair for plastics next to the K-show in Germany. This year, professional visitors can come to stand F 41 in hall E1 where several international Kautex employees will be on hand to present their innovations in new and existing equipment and explain their extensive portfolio of after-sales services.

About Kautex MaschinenbauEight decades of providing its customers with innovative products and services have turned Kautex Maschinenbau into one of the world's leading companies in extrusion blow molding technology. With customers that include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. All of them have come to rely on the knowledge and experience of a brand that stands for both quality and reliability. With 410 employees in Germany and a further 140 around the world, Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH has reached an annual turnover of €110 million in 2015. In addition to its HQ in Bonn and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy and India, Kautex operates an extensive network of service and sales offices around the world.
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Karola Hepfner has been supporting the sales activities of Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH as its Packaging Sales Manager since 1st January 2016. From her office at the company's Berlin location, she will continue to progress the expansion of its packaging division and to supervise the German and French markets along with selected key accounts and projects.

An expert in international marketsMs Hepfner boasts more than 20 years of sales experience in the field of blow moulding technology, primarily in the American, English and French markets, and has also been responsible for establishing new markets such as those in Indonesia and Vietnam. Before joining Kautex, she last worked as the Sales Specialist for Shuttle Machinery at Uniloy Milacron B&W.

"Together with Karola Hepfner, we will work on strategically extending our customer base in the field of packaging machines", states Andreas Lichtenauer, Managing Partner at Kautex Maschinenbau. "We will benefit from her many years of experience and expertise in the packaging sector in our discussions with our international customers."

About Kautex MaschinenbauEight decades of providing its customers with innovative products and services have turned Kautex Maschinenbau into one of the world's leading companies in extrusion blow molding technology. With customers that include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. All of them have come to rely on the knowledge and experience of a brand that stands for both quality and reliability. With over 400 employees in Germany and a further 140 around the world, Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH currently has an annual turnover in excess of €100 million. In addition to its HQ in Bonn and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy and India, Kautex operates an extensive network of service and sales offices around the world.
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2015

Open House for the 80th anniversary

Customers from around the world came to Bonn / Kautex Maschinenbau looks forward with confidence and back with pride / Exhibition about eight decades of company history

Bonn – Around 150 customers from 30 countries once again travelled from around the world to attend this year’s Open House at the Kautex Maschinenbau headquarters in Bonn. Over the course of two days, the manufacturer of extrusion blow molding machines presented many new developments, techniques and trends from the business fields of packaging, automotive and special applications.

Things kicked off on the first day with topics for the packaging industry. In expert talks given by internal and external speakers, topics presented included developments on a new electric canister machine and the possibilities offered by the microcellular foaming technique. The following day covered special applications and topics from the automotive sector. Kautex experts provided information about the manufacture of composite pressure vessels and the development of a new suction blow molding machine for manufacturing 3D-shaped engine parts.

This year, Kautex Maschinenbau not only looked to the future but also to the past. To mark the 80th anniversary of the Kautex brand, a company chronicle was created and artefacts and milestones from company history were brought together to form an exhibition. This included the world’s first commercially used blow molding machine from 1949, which is still fully functional today. To prove this, this vintage technology was used to produce a retro-style bottle from the 1950s for the international visitors.

Machines in operation
In addition to the talks, visitors who had travelled from all over Europe, Africa, Asia and the US were able to experience a total of 23 machines in production use. The first virtual machine, developed by Kautex for training purposes, was presented to the visitors.

About Kautex Maschinenbau This year, Kautex is celebrating its eightieth anniversary. Eight decades shaped by innovative strength and services for its customers make Kautex Maschinenbau a globally leading provider within extrusion blow molding technology today. At the same time, the Chinese office in Shunde is celebrating its 20th anniversary, originally founded as the first German joint venture in the South Chinese province of Guangdong. The company’s international customers include automobile firms and suppliers, as well as companies from the packaging industry. They all rely on the expertise of a brand that represents quality and reliability. With 400 employees in Germany and a further 140 employees worldwide, the company generates an annual turnover of over 100 million euros. Besides its headquarters in Bonn and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy and India, Kautex Maschinenbau maintains a dense global network of service and distribution offices.
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12.02.2015

A new lease of life for existing machinery

Bonn/Shunde, China - Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH’s aim is to provide customers with the most comprehensive service support in the blow molding industry, along with the most extensive local service network around the world. So at this year’s Chinaplas, alongside presentations of new technical developments, the company will be turning the spotlight on its service products. Kautex Maschinenbau will be in Guangzhou at the world’s second largest plastics and rubber trade fair from 20th to 23rd May, where it will be presenting its state-of-the-art blow molding machinery technology and its retrofitting program for used machinery.

Retrofitting for the most up-to-date processesSome 25 percent of Kautex Maschinenbau's turnover is generated by its extensive range of servicing programs, including retrofitting. “This is a key market segment”, says Managing Partner Andreas Lichtenauer, “because our machines also have such an excellent reputation in the second-hand market.” The company’s retrofitting program provides customers with a cost-effective way of adapting their existing Kautex machines to meet the very latest standards, so that key aspects such as productivity, operator comfort, flexibility and safety continue to be maintained.

Since last year, it has been possible for companies to have their used Kautex machines modernized directly in the Shunde plant. This year will see the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Shunde Kautex, which in 1995 became the very first German joint venture to be set up in the southern region of Guangdong.

Kautex at Chinaplas 2015At the Chinaplas trade fair this year, Kautex Maschinenbau will be showing a KB25 suction blow molding machine that has been modernized at the Shunde plant. The machine, which is used for manufacturing air ducts, has been fitted with a 1.8 liter high-temperature accumulator head and a low-wear E60 extruder. It has also been equipped with a full suction blow molding unit. “We’ve noticed a growing demand for suction blow molding machinery in Asia”, explains Andreas Lichtenauer. “This kind of machinery has traditionally been produced at our plant in Bonn. Currently we are checking if we can fulfill those demands for modern suction blow molding machinery directly from our production plant in Shunde.”

Kautex Maschinenbau celebrates significant milestones This year Kautex celebrates its 80th year in business. Eight decades of providing its customers with innovative products and services have turned Kautex Maschinenbau into one of the world's leading companies in extrusion blow molding technology. At the same time the Chinese subsidiary in Shunde celebrates its 20th anniversary, after being established as the first German joint venture in the Guangdong region of southern China. With customers that include major automobile manufacturers and suppliers, as well as companies working in the packaging industry. All of them have come to rely on the knowledge and experience of a brand that stands for both quality and reliability. With over 400 employees in Germany and a further 140 around the world, Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH currently has an annual turnover in excess of €100 million. In addition to its HQ in Bonn and regional offices in the USA, Russia, China, Italy and India, Kautex operates an extensive network of service and sales offices around the world. …more minimize

2014

03.11.2014

NPE - Sustainable packaging in live production demo

Kautex Maschinenbau at NPE 2015/Focus on resource-saving production solutions

Bonn/Orlando, USA – Growing numbers of packaging manufacturers are looking for ways of improving their productivity, while at the same time saving and recycling valuable resources. So at NPE 2015, Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH will be focusing on sustainable production solutions for the packaging market. This leading manufacturer of extrusion blow molding machinery will be exhibiting at the international plastics and plastics technology trade fair at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando from 23 to 27 March 2015.

Light on resources, heavy on performanceWith 335 square meters of exhibition space in the West Hall Booth W1551, the Kautex Maschinenbau stand will be much bigger than at NPE 2012. For the first time since 2006, the international extrusion blow molding experts will be showing one of its machines in action, in what is sure to be one of the highlights of the fair. A KBB60D machine with a 2 x 12 head configuration will be used to demonstrate the production of 24 ml bottles for the hotel industry. The all-electric KBB machines have short cycle times and low energy costs, combining resource-saving with top performance. Another benefit of this new range is that they come with quick change systems for fast product changeovers and reduced downtime. These electric machines also meet all the latest hygiene requirements for cosmetic and food products.

Local partnersThe Italian company Meccanoplastica srl (represented by Kautex’s US office) will also be exhibiting on the stand. This medium-sized, Florence-based company will be presenting its portfolio of all-electrical injection and stretch blow molding machinery and showing one of its Jet120 machines in action. INCLUDIS Inc. will also be joining Kautex Maschinenbau on the stand. This international software company specializes in web-based Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) for monitoring the production, processes and energy consumption of plastics processing machinery. …more minimize

10.04.2014

Electrical machinery for the packaging industry

Kautex Maschinenbau at Interpack 2014 / New models in the KBB series now available
Bonn/Dusseldorf – Packaging manufacturers are facing constantly increasing requirements. Along with design and functionality, more and more customers are turning their attention to energy consumption when making their buying decisions. Kautex Maschinenbau understands how requirements are changing. Under the slogan "electrified by Kautex", the company will be at Interpack in Dusseldorf to present its improved machine solutions for blow-molded packaging.

Energy-efficient packaging production
From 8-14 May 2014, the world's leading supplier of extrusion blow molding machinery will be presenting the latest models in its all-electric KBB series at its 100 m2 stand in Hall 13. Versions KBB20D and KBB40D are now available and the KBB80D will be on the market in the second half of 2014.

The innovative overall design concept of the KBB machines includes extremely short dry-cycle times and low energy costs. This provides the ideal conditions for highly-efficient production and lowest possible unit costs. The offer is rounded off by a wide range of services, from rapid prototyping and innovative training activities to the engineering and delivery of complete production lines.

See the machinery in action
Visitors who would like to get a first-hand impression of the capabilities of the all-electric KBB60D are invited to see it in operation at the Kautex Maschinenbau headquarters in Bonn. A shuttle service will be provided to interested visitors from the exhibition ground to the factory. …more minimize

02.04.2014

Kautex at Chinaplas 2014

Blow molding technology – flexible and highly efficientEfficiency, ease of use and the greatest possible flexibility – this is what customers are looking for when buying new technical products. This will also be the focus of the Kautex Maschinenbau stand at Chinaplas 2014 in Shanghai. Over recent years, the leading manufacturer of blow molding machines has optimized its range of machines and services to meet these criteria and consistently kept its focus on its customers’ fast-changing requirements.

In action on the stand: the KCC20SThis is particularly evident with the successful KCC model range. Its product flexibility means it is extremely efficient in the production of a wide range of packaging applications. The KCC20S machine exhibited in Shanghai can produce packaging with volumes of between 50 ml and 10 liters. At this year’s fair, there will be a demonstration of the production of a 750 ml monolayer sports drinking bottle with seven mold cavities.

The new products and services that were introduced at the K trade fair last year will also be showcased on the Kautex stand at Chinaplas. Alongside the new ZVT 7/60-100 hose head for CP applications, the focus will be on the new fully-electric KBB series. Kautex has set a real benchmark with this innovative new machinery, which impresses with its performance data, compact dimensions and shapely design.

Kautex at ChinaplasWith ever-growing exhibitor and visitor numbers, Chinaplas has joined K as the world’s most important plastics trade fair. From 23-26 April 2014, Kautex Maschinenbau will be represented in hall E1 with a stand measuring some 130 m2.

As the world’s leading company in the field of extrusion blow molding technology, Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH generates annual revenues of €107 million, with 370 employees in Germany and a further 150 worldwide. Besides its headquarters in Bonn and four regional offices in China, USA, Russia and Italy, Kautex maintains a dense global network of service and distribution offices. …more minimize

2013

16.10.2013

K2013 - Pioneering trends for blow molding machines

All-electric KBB machine sets standards/Industry 4.0 through BC Connect/Virtual machines for training purposes
Bonn/Dusseldorf - At the K 2007 show, Kautex Maschinenbau announced that it would continue to focus on consumer packaging. Six years later, the result of this project is now presented at the K 2013. With the new, all-electric KBB series, the company presents a pioneering machine concept that sets new standards in the packaging segment.

Industry 4.0 with BC Connect
But the development of new machine models is not the only reason why the leading manufacturer of blow molding machines is a trend-setter in the industry. Kautex Maschinebau also introduces real innovations in the areas of Industry 4.0 and service to visitors at the international trade show. The best example of this is the remote monitoring tool BC Connect. This is web-based software that allows processors to conveniently access their blow molding machines via the Internet. Current performance data can be called up from anywhere in the world at any time via desktop, tablet PC or smartphone.

Virtual machines
Kautex Maschinenbau presents another highlight of the fair as well as genuine progress in training and education with its newly developed virtual machines. These are simulations in which the control and operating interfaces correspond to the real machine. All triggered processes and production runs are displayed in a simulation program. This allows staff to be trained to work with the machine, and the new configuration to be tested without risk, without needing to take the machine out of production. …more minimize

16.10.2013

KBB series - New standard in consumer packaging

KBB series offers more performance with less energy consumption/New Kautex machines provide extensive improvements in efficiency
Bonn – Kautex Maschinenbau sets new standards in the manufacture of consumer packaging with a pioneering machine concept. The all-electric KBB series offers maximum freedom in configuration, through which the processor can react flexibly to the ever faster changing demands of the market. Performance and energy consumption have also been optimized.

Less energy, more power
"Our new generation of machines achieves its high performance levels through less downtime," explains Dietmar Michels, Product Manager at Kautex Maschinenbau. "We significantly accelerated transport movements in the machine as well as the opening and closing movement of the mold, reducing the traversing time for 770 mm from the head to the calibration position to only 0.6 seconds." The cooling phase has also been shortened. Compared to conventional production systems, the new machine concept achieves a reduction of 25 percent in the dry cycle time.

Usually, higher performance requires even higher energy consumption. This is exactly the opposite for machines of the KBB series: "By using lighter materials, we have significantly reduced the moving mass. In this way, we were able to increase not only the performance, but also to reduce the required drive power," says Dietmar Michels. There is also a system for recovering energy where the excess braking energy is fed back into the machine or the processor’s network via an intermediate circuit.

Minimizes downtime
A procedure for changing molds, exclusive to Kautex Maschinenbau, allows for further efficiency improvements in the production process. A change of mold can be performed by two persons in less than 15 minutes. An automatic lubrication system provides for an additional reduction of downtime by reducing maintenance. Last but not least, all necessary adjustments for optimizing material and the machine settings can be performed during operation. Consequently, the machine does not need to be stopped, for example, to adjust the closing or calibration forces. This simplifies handling and saves time.

Altogether, the four models of the KBB series offer feed strokes from 400 to 1,000 millimeters and closing forces from 10 to 40 tons, so that a wide spectrum of production possibilities is covered. As an option, the manufacturer has developed a new type of remote monitoring via the Internet, as well as a virtual training station. …more minimize

05.03.2013

New plant in China

Bonn/Shunde (PR China) - On March 12, Kautex Maschinenbau will open its new plant in China. For the Bonn (Germany) based manufacturer of blow molding machinery, this is an important step that will give room for further growth. The previous production facility in Shunde (in the province of Guangdong) was already bursting at the seams. The new plant—also in Shunde—meets the current requirements in terms of production capacity and quality standards.

Long but successful searchThe new plant was constructed only a few minutes' drive away from the old site. Bright, pleasant and functional, it offers plenty of space for the production, development, service and sales operations as well as visiting customers. “In many respects, our old site no longer met our requirements. Also its outward appearance did not project the quality of our products,” says Mr. Gouliang Du, President of Shunde Kautex Plastics Technology.

Room for growthThe newly built plant will just allow the manufacturing of more machines, but more importantly of larger machines. This is made possible by a higher ceiling in the production hall and correspondingly higher craneways. “We need the space mainly for the multi-layer and multi-cavity machines that are increasingly in demand”.Already this year, a significantly higher number of machines will be manufactured and shipped to customers. The new production hall, designed with much natural lighting like its Bonn counterpart, and the new and substantially larger office wing will bring enormous improvements for the ca. 115 employees.Bright and pleasant conference rooms of various sizes will provide an appropriate setting for visiting customers. Also the desire to have more room for training has been addressed. Engineering and Sales will have their new home on the ground floor so as to be as close as possible to the assembly hall. Mr. Gouliang Du is confident that the new facility provides the ideal conditions to achieve the desired growth. …more minimize

01.02.2013

New investors at Kautex Maschinenbau

Bonn/Berlin capiton AG is the latest shareholder in the Kautex Group. With this new shareholding, the Berlin-based investors are taking over from former shareholders Steadfast Capital. In March 2007 Steadfast Capital joined together with five members of the management team to buy out 100 percent of the shares held by the Munich-based investment firm Adcuram AG. The latest change of shareholders was approved by Germany's Federal Cartel Authority on 18 January 2013.

Management team now majority shareholders The Kautex Group is the world's leading manufacturer of extrusion blow molding machinery for the production of plastic containers. "Over the last six years, our close working relationship with Steadfast Capital has helped us to increase the Kautex Group's sales by 75%, despite the slump in demand experienced in 2008 and 2009. We have invested in design and development, sales and customer service, and we are particularly proud of our new Technikum, which we opened in 2012", says Dr. Olaf Weiland, CEO of Kautex Maschinenbau. With this latest change in investors, the management has increased its equity share to 50.1 percent and now holds the majority share in the Kautex Group. The transaction was financed by the capiton IV fund and bank loans. "capiton is a trusted and experienced investor that is totally committed to our values. As a result, we now have the best possible conditions for continuing to develop and strengthen our business activities and the Kautex brand", adds Weiland.

Steady growth Since leaving the SIG Group in 2004, Kautex Maschinenbau has grown steadily to become the international market leader, with sales in excess of €100 million. Kautex Maschinenbau is at home in every area of extrusion blow molding technology, including automotive applications (such as fuel tanks), packaging and other specialized fields. And the company is expecting above-average growth in the future because blow-molding technology is gaining ground in many other industries. Kautex Maschinenbau is perfectly placed to handle this increased demand from its production plants in Germany and China and its global sales and service network. …more minimize

2012

06.03.2012

Kautex Maschinenbau at the NPE 2012

Bonn / Orlando, Florida USASince 1946, the international plastics industry has met at the NPE in the United States. The NPE is the third largest plastics fair in the world – the largest in the United States. It will be taking place this year from the 1st to the 5th of April 2012 for the first time at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The subject of sustainability will be a central theme. The NPE is the measure of trends for the industry with new products and strategies that enable them to meet current and future market requirements. Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH will also make its presence felt with 250 m² exhibition space (Booth #1751) and also introduce the main innovation drivers of the company.Megatrends of the future: efficiency, sustainability and serviceAs a leading manufacturer of extrusion blow molding technology, Kautex uses sustainable and efficient production of plastics. In the process, the company consistently takes on new challenges in the development of products and service concepts: What does globalization mean for the plastics industry? What do customers expect from innovative service concepts? How can standards for sustainable production be redefined?

Top ideas, top products, top serviceFrom idea to finished product – and far beyond, Kautex accompanies its customers and partners in all phases of the product life cycle. Together with the customer, Kautex designs and manufactures products and machines with the specific requirements of each customer. Through rapid prototyping and simulation of the product, a prototype of the product is directly implemented without manual modeling and can be simulated and implemented directly in its use, so that the packaging meets all requirements precisely. Kautex staff accompanies the production process at the customers’ site after purchase, as well. Each step of the procedure and production process is continuously optimized in order to achieve smooth operations and improve efficiency and quality. Efficient production is only possible with a customer-oriented, quick service, Thilo Schmidt, Director Global Customer Service & Partner. “We use a decentralized service structure approach worldwide. Even in the U.S. service technicians are stationed locally. If a customer requests a service technician via the 24-hour emergency service, in most cases he will arrive at the plant on the same day.” Thanks to state-of-the-art, logistics all important spare and wear parts are available within 48 hours. …more minimize

Kautex now speaks Russian

Kautex Maschinenbau is now represented on the international market with an office in Moscow. The new branch with a staff of five was inaugurated with an official ceremony in December 2011.

This move makes Russia and its neighbors the core markets of Kautex. Service for the benefit of customers is now the top priority. Our Service Technician Sergey Charikov is available for all service questions. Spare parts will be delivered quickly and without bureaucracy. As a longstanding team member, Olga Bolotina is more important than ever for our existing customers at the branch in St. Petersburg. And we are happy to now have Alexander Silin as the Office Manager for our main office in Moscow – an absolute specialist and market expert in plastics engineering. He is the guarantee for our future advancement. …more minimize

Hagen Award for Kautex Maschinenbau

As emission standards are becoming ever more stringent, tank fittings of plastic fuel tanks are increasingly relocated into the tank interior. A new manufacturing method in extrusion blow molding has now earned Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH (Bonn) the Dr. Reinold Hagen Award 2011.

For the ninth time already, the Dr. Reinold Hagen foundation (Bonn) has honored pioneering developments in blow molding engineering with its "Innovation in Blow Molding" award. This year's winner was announced on October 5, 2011 on the occasion of the "Blow Molding Engineering 2011" convention organized by the Association of German Engineers (VDI) in Baden Baden. An independent jury of members of the Blow Molding advisory board of the VDI Plastics Engineering department had selected the winner from a number of high-caliber submissions.

In plastic fuel tanks, the permeation of hydrocarbons through the wall is usually prevented by a special barrier layer as part of a 6-layer coextrusion process. However, if service openings or holes are created subsequently, the barrier layer will be destroyed. On the other hand, statutory requirements are becoming more and more demanding, for instance the US standards LEV III (Low Emission Vehicle) or PZEV (Partial Zero-Emissions Vehicle). Many efforts are thus focused on integrating the process of fitting interior tank components, such as the fuel pump, directly into the blow molding process.

As an alternative to known methods such as the various twin-sheet methods (TSBM, NGFS), the Ship-in-the-bottle (SIB) or Tank Advanced Process Technology (TAPT) processes, the experts at Kautex Maschinenbau have now developed a new method. In the so-called C3LS® blow molding process, the tubular parison is slit open in longitudinal direction at one point while it is being extruded and is unfolded. With the blow mold partly closed, components such as fuel pump, level indicator, anti-splash baffle, valves and venting conduits can now be introduced through the opening created in the parison into the interior of the pre-blown tank bladder.

Apart from lower costs of the blow mold, the new method also results in a more compact design of the machine. It can be combined with the tried and tested Kautex 6 layer coextrusion head technology and the known wall thickness control systems.

"The jury honored Kautex Maschinenbau for the C3LS method with the Dr. Reinold Hagen Award 2011 because this is a highly topical and practical innovation", commented Dr. Olaf Bruch, Head of Research and Development with the Dr. Reinold Hagen foundation.

Mr. Andreas Lichtenauer, Managing Director of Kautex Maschinenbau, said: "We are proud to win this coveted award as it is a clear acknowledgement of the quest for innovation pursued so relentlessly by our company." …more minimize